GCC to invest over $54bn in projects to accommodate increase in global oil demand

OGS 2008 provides a consolidating platform for the energy sector, particularly in the GCC region, which currently accounts for over $54bn in oil and gas projects across various sectors.

OGS 2008 is being hosted on a reworked format that will hold four segments concurrently - Oil and Gas; Electricity and Water Technology; Instrumentation, Automation and Laboratory Technology 2008; and OGS Careers Expo.

The Careers Expo is a key feature of this year's event and offers the region's only dedicated job fair for engineers and technical professionals from different sectors, including oil, gas, renewable energy, water and automation, among others.

"OGS has, over the years, come into its own as a technical and engineering event that cuts across the automation and expertise at the heart of oil, gas, water, electricity and general industry. It has evolved into the region's only dedicated event for the engineering and technical community. At the same time, it offers solid opportunities for business-to-business trade in key energy and industry sectors,"

said Anselm Godinho, Managing Director, International Conferences and Exhibitions.

"The show incorporates new and enhanced segments this year in response to evolving market dynamics. For instance, the region's substantial increase in consumption of electricity and treated water has led to huge investments in new and more efficient technologies; this is a critical area that the Electricity and Water Technology exhibition seeks to support. Furthermore, the unprecedented number of energy and infrastructure projects in the region has driven the demand for world-class professionals, yet there is no dedicated venue to facilitate suitable employment within the industry. We aim to address this market gap with the Careers Expo," added Godinho.

OGS 2008's Oil and Gas 2008 segment will provide a networking forum for both upstream and downstream industry players, facilitating interaction and developing business ties between public and private stakeholders of the oil and gas industry.

The event will also focus on hydrocarbon technology, extraction techniques, storage and transport infrastructure, eyeing to support massive investments, particularly in the GCC.

The Electricity and Water Technology segment of OGS will focus on renewable energy resources as well as environmental sustainability - issues that have become important considerations in the overall development plan of most countries in the Middle East region.

The growing need to focus on electricity and water technologies has been underlined by recent statistics pointing out that the Middle East will require over $1 trillion in investments over the next several years in different sectors of the energy industry to accommodate the substantial increase in demand for electricity.

Limited water supplies and an expected exponential increase in demand for water resources have likewise necessitated multi-billion dollar investments for desalination and wastewater facilities.

Conservative estimates indicate that up to $100bn in various water projects will be in place within the next decade to improve water facilities and technologies.

The Careers Expo will be a dedicated platform for acquiring regional and international human resources specifically for the oil and gas industries.

It will include an Engineering Forum hosted by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, along with a number of seminars and workshops t incorporated to maximise the event's employment potential.

The Instrumentation, Automation and Laboratory Technology segment is a cross-industrial platform for technicians and engineers, showcasing a comprehensive range of state-of-the-art equipment, technology and expertise.

The segment also includes a technical conference featuring internationally recognised engineering and technical experts in the region.